Vehicles continue to adopt more electronic devices in their design, which may provide sensor input, feedback, provide user controls, etc. Communications between these various devices is necessary to ensure their functionality. For example, diagnostic data is often monitored and recorded to provide a user feedback about the state of the engine. To provide another example, an onboard computer in an automobile often works in conjunction with various electromechanical devices such as door locks, window lifts, etc. Each of these various devices are referred to as “nodes” within a vehicle, and modern vehicles may be designed with a great number of such nodes (e.g., 100 or more).
To communicate with these nodes, a computer system and/or other type of central node is generally hardwired to each node via a series of buses and wiring harnesses. These wiring harnesses are typically non-standard for each manufacturer, requiring design time and adding cost. Furthermore, since a great number of nodes may exist in a given vehicle, the wiring harnesses and cabling forming these bus interconnects can add substantial vehicle weight, which directly impacts fuel efficiency. As a result of increasing consumer demand for vehicles with more modern electronic features, continuing to lower manufacturing costs while increasing fuel efficiency presents serious challenges.